Aliyah Boston and a teammate during Sunday's game against the University of South Florida. By. GAMECOCKS
The South Carolina Gamecocks are in the sweet sixteen, having beaten Norfolk State 72-40 on Friday and the University of South Florida (USF) on Sunday in the second round.
“I thought this was just a great overall game. South Florida is a great team,” senior forward Aliyah Boston told the Daily Gamecock. “They like to push in transition. I think we did a great job of just getting out and trying to stop that."
The native Virgin Islander shone in the game against South Florida, scoring 11 points and gaining 11 rebounds as part of her 29-minute contribution to the Gamecocks on Sunday. The performance was Ms. Boston's 81st career double double.
The number 1 ranked team entered half time only four points ahead of (USF), but with Ms. Boston’s support, the Gamecocks ended Sunday’s match with 76 points to South Florida’s 45.
"I've never coached a player like a superstar like herself that is full of sacrifice," head coach Dawn Staley said. "She could have easily had 30 and 15, if we really just said, 'hey, let's just continue to feed her, feed her, feed her, feed her.'"
The leading scorer during Sunday's game for the Gamecocks was Zia Cooke, who scored 21 points. The team's latest win represented its 40th straight game and moved the Gamecocks four victories away from repeating as national champions.
Ms. Boston and her teammates are now looking forward to the team’s Sweet 16 match, which will be played this Saturday against the winner of the game between Oklahoma and UCLA on Monday.
